<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Red Strings and Golden Rings Society by toojuns</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27686656">Red Strings and Golden Rings Society</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/toojuns/pseuds/toojuns'>toojuns</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>societies, secrets and soulmates [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Growing Up Together, Kinda?, M/M, Slice of Life, Soulmates, i mean def open but is it really ambiguous i think not</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:48:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,986</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27686656</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/toojuns/pseuds/toojuns</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Renjun's family is part of the organization responsible for creating the red string of fate and connecting people to their soulmates, although society has no idea that happens. He grows up trying to keep it a secret from everyone while he sabotages every chance his best friend, Jaemin, has of finding his soulmate.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>societies, secrets and soulmates [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2041217</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>86</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Challenge #3 — soulmates</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Red Strings and Golden Rings Society</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Today I come with songs to recommend, they helped out a lot while writing the universe.<br/><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbwoEttN7cE">Sertraline</a> by Zack Teale<br/><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uREGk0fT0GQ">Boys will be Bugs</a> by Cavetown<br/>That's it, enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Everyone loves the term soulmates. There's a ring to that word that's undeniably sweet; it keeps people longing, keeps them searching.</p><p>Everyone <em>hears</em> about soulmates. It first comes as bed storytimes, then, in school, people getting their first taste of romance and heartbreak once they realize their crush does not come with a string of fate. Finally, once adulthood comes, it brings the relief of an everlasting companion, someone who stays no matter what.</p><p>There are many stories about that fateful string, yet the people who create them stay hidden. No one talks about the group who spends their entire lives learning the craft of dying every single strand red, twisting it to form the string, and then finishing it so no one could damage them.</p><p>Every person was assigned a ring at birth, and when the time came, one of the agents would tie the strings to them. What first would be invisible, the line would manifest itself when it was time to meet their soulmate — as soon as they were together, the rings would change colors to match their partner.</p><p>Renjun thought it was neat to create something so perfect it would become invisible to the human eye until it was activated.</p><p>There was an entire organization built for creating those, and even so, no one had any idea how that happened; it was better if everyone didn't know who made the rules. One could only be part of it by recommendation or being born into it — Renjun was the latter; both his parents were string makers.</p><p>Of course there were some conspiracy theories, but nothing that alarmed the organization.</p><p>And Renjun didn't care. Like any other kid, he only wanted to play with his toys and be the center of attention. That came without a problem, as all kids born in the company were homeschooled.</p><p>He grew up learning all kinds of knots, all materials that could turn into strings — rayon being his favorite, no other could get as vibrant when he dyed the strands—, and he learned to be stealthy, as no one should ever find out what went on.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Renjun loved where he lived, although it needed some improvement. His door creaked when opened, and he was pretty sure a raccoon was living somewhere on his roof. Even so, he loved his home, location, and neighbors — that being the real reason for his devotion.</p><p>Because Renjun lived right next to his best friend, Jaemin. The two being close since middle school when Renjun's family moved from Jilin to Seoul. Forced by his mother, Renjun gave the family rice cakes as a welcoming gift, and who opened the door was Jaemin.</p><p>He was only a little taller than Renjun, and his cheeks were red.</p><p>"Hi," little Renjun was homeschooled, so his skills for talking to other kids were none, "I have rice cake."</p><p>Jaemin thought that was a weird introduction, but the boy in front of him had big eyes and rice cake powder on his cheek from stealing some of the ones he meant to deliver, and he found it funny.</p><p>And that was all it took for Jaemin and Renjun to become friends. It was like learning to ride a bike, bumpy in the beginning and unforgettable by the end.</p><p>That day, Renjun went back to his house and begged his parents to let him study at the school Jaemin went to.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>His mother was even more strict now that Renjun had connections to the outside. She didn't stop him from going to school, but she expected more dedication now that Renjun joined society.</p><p>"You have to understand we're not like them," his mother would tell him.</p><p>But that didn't make a lot of sense. Jaemin and Renjun bled the same shade of red, liked the same cereal and fought over the same pokemon card. If anything, Jaemin was more like Renjun than anyone else.</p><p>And he tried to explain to his mom, but all he got was a scolding in return.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>His problem arose three months after meeting Jaemin.</p><p>The first time was shocking. Renjun heard his parents talking about how most of the names from that soulmate batch were still children, something that never happened. Curious, Renjun went to look at the list, and Jaemin's name was right there with bold red letters.</p><p>Na Jaemin, with his address and everything.</p><p>It wasn't fair; they had just met. Now, he would lose his new friend, the only one close enough to play videogames whenever he wanted.</p><p>So, as every spoiled kid would, Renjun scribbled Jaemin's name from the list, hoping that would be enough.</p><p>Soulmates are all about <em>timing</em>. It's not a foolproof system as the movies like to portray, and people aren't really perfect for each other.</p><p>A person can find another in the same moment of their life, and if they get together, they'll work things out. It's about growing as a couple and individuals. If they lose their window, they might not become each other's soulmates ever again; they'll live and find someone else who fits their new self and who will help them become their best version.</p><p>But Renjun didn't know that when he scribbled Jaemin's name, he was eleven and wanted to keep his friend. He could be condemning Jaemin to a lonely life, but that was okay in his mind; they could be lonely together.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There's nothing about romance when it comes to tying the red string; it's about compatibility and calculation — the probability of making it work.</p><p>It was about the biggest database Renjun had ever seen, collecting all of the people's interests, quirks and running a harmony test, checking the percentage in the end.</p><p>If people got 75%, it was good enough. So no, there wasn't faith; it was just the organization making sure everyone's relationship was healthy enough not to cause any problem.</p><p>But Jaemin didn't know that, and Renjun realized his friend liked to wonder about his future job's mechanics.</p><p>"How do you think it works?" Jaemin asked Renjun; they were on the roof of their house, hiding away from Renjun's mother because of a broken vase and a soccer ball that wasn't supposed to be inside the house.</p><p>"What works?" Renjun couldn't think, worry filling his mind while picturing his mother's red ears and angry eyes.</p><p>"The soulmate thing," Jaemin was a romantic at heart; everyone knew that. It was his one imperfection in Renjun's eyes, "how come I don't see my string?"</p><p>They were fourteen now, and Renjun knew more about the system than he would like to admit. He knew he shouldn't tell anyone about it. It was easier to control everyone if they thought it was all in the name of love.</p><p>"My theory is," Renjun said the first thing that came to mind, "someone has to put the string there first."</p><p>Jaemin supported his torso with his elbows, just long enough to look at Renjun and check how serious he was. The shock on Jaemin's face made it clear he didn't believe that, "What?"</p><p>"That's only logical?" Renjun retorted.</p><p>"You're ridiculous."</p><p>Renjun could argue; he wanted to. But at that moment, he heard his mother shouting for him and the noises of a possible raccoon joining them; panic ran through his entire body, and his flight response rushed Jaemin to jump out of the roof to the garden and make a run for it.</p><p>Renjun went first and broke his leg while landing. Jaemin stayed with him for the rest of the summer break playing videogames.</p><p>Luckily, Renjun's mom didn't scream anymore.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>High school came, and with it came first experiences. Renjun got his first crush, a boy named Jeno, who sat next to him in class. Jaemin tried out for the soccer team, and, despite what Renjun guessed, he passed.</p><p>The second time Jaemin's name came in one of Renjun's father's list, it came tied to one of their school's seniors.</p><p>Lucas was charismatic and seemed to care about Jaemin; they had become closer since joining the soccer team since Lucas was a teammate.</p><p>Renjun got to kiss Jeno and Jaemin went out with Lucas. Later that night, they were both back on Renjun's roof, watching the stars.</p><p>"How did it go?" Jaemin asked after a long period of silence.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"You and Jeno," Jaemin explained, "I saw you two in the classroom today."</p><p>The heat on Renjun's face had nothing to do with what he remembered but everything to do with who was watching. "Ew, you fucking creep," he argued, "don't you know what's privacy?"</p><p>Jaemin could've gotten offended, but the pink in Renjun's cheeks prevented him from it, "I'm not the one kissing boys in the middle of my classroom."</p><p>"No, you're doing it on the soccer field."</p><p>Jaemin fell right into that one, and this time there wasn't much he could do, "I did not!"</p><p>"Sure."</p><p>"I really didn't."</p><p>"I believe you."</p><p>"Stop replying to me then."</p><p>"Okay."</p><p>"Renjun!"</p><p>It was easy to rile Jaemin up; by now, they knew exactly which buttons to press to get the other foaming. Usually, Jaemin had to tap out, but only because he knew Renjun couldn't take much teasing without breaking down.</p><p>So he sacrificed his ego to get Renjun laughing.</p><p>The night ended with Jaemin leaving the roof and standing on the grass, looking at Renjun one last time before going back to his house.</p><p>"Do you think he might be it?" Jaemin asked.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"Your soulmate," he explained, there was something in his eyes that Renjun couldn't understand, "do you think he might be your soulmate?"</p><p>Renjun would love to tell Jaemin he didn't have a soulmate, and he would never get one. Instead, because he was feeling brave and wanted to tease his friend more, he asked, "do you think Lucas is yours?"</p><p>Jaemin pondered for a second before replying, "I hope not."</p><p>And that was all it took for Renjun to disappear with Jaemin's name from the list again.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Renjun finally started to go on solo missions. For the longest time, all he did was help his parents with the craft, but now he was assigned to tying the string on each ring.</p><p>And it was... <em>underwhelming</em>.</p><p>All Renjun had to do was get into the assigned houses; most people slept without their rings on, so it wasn't that much of a hassle.</p><p>After years of learning how to pick locks, even trespassing into someone's home wasn't that exciting. He could do all of that with his eyes closed.</p><p>But he got his golden ring out of it, as he was now a member of the organization, and that's how they would perceive each other out in the open.</p><p>Golden rings were for the organization only, and if any of their own was in trouble, it was an easy way to prove their social status.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Renjun only realized his wrongdoings when they were adults, as Jaemin grew more and more impatient to know about his soulmate.</p><p>"What if mine's dead?" A drunk Jaemin once asked; he had just finished his first semester at college, and Renjun worked full-time in the organization. Jaemin didn't know how to hold his liquor, so it was usually up to Renjun to keep an eye on him and not let him sleep on the streets.</p><p>"They aren't," Renjun hogged Jaemin's cup for himself, "stop that, no more beer for you."</p><p>"What if I'm one of the people that will only meet their soulmate when I'm old?" Jaemin tried to get his glass back but was too intoxicated to have any strength, "what if I meet them and then die?"</p><p>Renjun felt the tug in his heart as guilt flooded his body; he tried to remove the lump in his throat with the rest of Jaemin's beer and joked, "why do you think you'll live until you're old?" he could feel his hands sweating, "if you keep this up, you'll die before college ends."</p><p>Jaemin blinked once. Twice. And finally got the jab at his alcohol intake. With a tipsy smile and bubbly laugh, he responded, "you're funny."</p><p>After that, Renjun stopped seeing Jaemin.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Donghyuck was scouted a few months after Renjun started doing his solo missions, and after a while, the company decided to partner them up. It was comfortable working with four pairs of hands instead of two, but Donghyuck also liked to make noise and almost get caught, and Renjun liked that game way too much to scold his partner about it.</p><p>"Did you see the dog?" Donghyuck asked back at a coffee shop; they had finished their rounds and were having breakfast together.</p><p>"I thought you were going to piss yourself."</p><p>"I debated punching it on the nose," Hyuck said, "so it goes away, you know?"</p><p>"That's with sharks."</p><p>Donghyuck was easy to be around, and, as much as they could be trouble for each other, Renjun liked his presence. So he didn't tease him too much about his panicked state that night and kept eating his cake — they had ordered everything sweet on the menu, a treat for not getting caught.</p><p>Jaemin's campus wasn't that far from where they were, so Renjun should've guessed the boy could pull up at any moment looking for his first shot of caffeine of the day. Still, it shocked him to see him there, with friends — probably roommates — he had never seen before.</p><p>They hadn't met in months, and Jaemin looked just as good as the last time. Their eyes met, Renjun froze.</p><p>Jaemin averted his gaze to Donghyuck and thought the wrong thing when he saw a matching set of golden rings on their fingers.</p><p>Renjun wasn't sure why the smile Jaemin gave bothered him so much, but that was all he could think about the next month.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"You're an idiot," Hyuck was the only one who would follow Renjun with his horrible plans, "just tell the guy you like him; not everyone keeps their soulmates as love interests."</p><p>Renjun didn't need the moral talk while trying to rob the place they worked; all he needed was for Donghyuck to guard the door.</p><p>"He does," Renjun ignored what Donghyuck implied.</p><p>Jaemin waited his entire life for this; all his hope set in a flawed system with flawed people imposing the rules. It was a mess, and both Donghyuck and Renjun knew about it.</p><p>But Jaemin was different; Jaemin wasn't like them. Jaemin learned that soulmates were the only certainty in life and every day without a soulmate took a toll on his mental state.</p><p>Donghyuck knew more than the others about this situation; he was the only one in the entire organization that was crazy enough and liked Renjun enough to pull that kind of stunt with him. So instead of arguing, he rushed his friend.</p><p>"Please be quick," Donghyuck said, looking over his shoulders down the corridor, "I would like to keep my job."</p><p>Renjun was trying his best, but there was only one lock for the safe, and he had over twenty keys with him.</p><p>They were back at the organization headquarters and trying to get into the database to take the matter to their own hands. "I'm trying," Renjun's voice was panicked; maybe it was the Redbull he drank before going there, but he could feel his heart in his throat. Donghyuck poking his side wasn't helping, "could you stop?"</p><p>Finally one of the keys went in, and Renjun felt his heart drop to his feet with the realization of what they were about to do. With his eyes glued to the little computer filled with possibilities, he typed in the name he wanted.</p><p>Donghyuck didn't let him dwell on it. He slapped Renjun's forehead to get him out of his trance and shoved him aside, grabbing the printed paper with calculations and putting it back into his bag, the same one he used for everything; it probably smelled like beer and desperation.</p><p>"Come on," Donghyuck grabbed his hand, "let's get out of here before someone finds us."</p><p>They managed to lock everything again and not raise any suspicions. It took a few days for Renjun to acknowledge they had actually made it through, and he could probably start to answer Donghyuck's calls again.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Did it work?" Donghyuck asked over the phone,</p><p>"I don't know," Renjun told him; he was back at home trying to keep a low profile while Hyuck was at the organization deleting their history, "I tied their rings and left a note to be sure."</p><p>That wasn't typical, but he thought he should apologize for the delay.</p><p>"We could drive by and see if they met?"</p><p>That wasn't a bad idea, but Renjun didn't want to see Jaemin smiling at someone else.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A few weeks go by, and no signs of Jaemin — not even by Christmas time when classes would take a break and every student went back to their parent's house.</p><p>Renjun was starting to forget, hoping his friend was happy with his soulmate, until he heard a sound on the roof. It was too heavy to be the raccoon, and when Renjun went to check, he saw his childhood friend waiting for him.</p><p>"Hi," Jaemin smiled; he had his ring and Renjun's note in his hand.</p><p>"Hi," Renjun approached him carefully, still unsure of what the boy knew, "what's up?"</p><p>"Take this back," Jaemin tossed him the ring; it hadn't changed color. Jaemin hadn't followed the string.</p><p>If Renjun was smarter, he would've played it cool. Instead, he asked, "why?"</p><p>"I've seen you jump from this roof and break a leg," Jaemin answered, "forgive me if I don't trust you with my destiny."</p><p>Jaemin had every right to be angry, but he smiled. </p><p>Donghyuck was right; Renjun was an idiot. At least he might have his friend, and possible crush, back, so not everything was lost.</p><p>Although he was probably going to get fired.</p><p>

</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Word limit put my thoughts to a halt but it was fun nonetheless! I hope you enjoyed this weird take on a soulmate organized society. I had so much fun creating this universe!<br/>Thank you to the mods for another fun round! This was amazing as always.<br/>EDIT: ahhh thank you to everyone who commented and liked, yall are amazing!<br/>let's be moots on<a href="https://twitter.com/toojuns">twitter</a> :D<br/><a href="https://curiouscat.me/toojuns">curiouscat</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>